Dubai: About 1,000 Filipino expatriates are expected to join Filipino global ultra-marathon runner Cesar Guarin on his run in Dubai on May 17 that will start and end at Zabeel Park.
Guarin, 57, aims to be the first Asian to run an accumulative distance of 42,000 kilometres, which is about 2,000km more than the earth’s equatorial circumference.
Guarin will end the seventh leg of his 16-leg global run in Dubai to cover at least 1,265km across the Middle East — a distance equivalent to running 30 standard marathons over about 30 days.
Organised by the Filipino Runners UAE (FRU), the Unity Run with Guarin in Dubai will cover a distance of 24km. Starting at Zabeel Park, it will go around Dubai Creek through Bur Dubai, Deira and Garhoud Bridge and back to Zabeel Park. Everyone is welcome to join the run.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime event to run with a global ultra-marathoner. He runs to pay tribute to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). As a way to give back, we would like to show our support by running with him,” Amor Bautista, founding member of FRU, told Gulf News. “I’m an ultra-marathoner myself. But to be a global ultra-marathoner takes a lot of perseverance, patience, dedication on what one wants to achieve,” she added.
Bautista said Guarin is the group’s ultimate inspiration. She hopes that Filipinos around the world are inspired as well.
“Cesar’s determination is at a different level. As OFWs, we should have the same level of commitment and dedication in our lives and jobs, so that we can also achieve what we’ve set out to do,” Bautista said.
After the Middle East Run, Guarin will begin the eighth stage of his global run from Alaska to Calfornia in September. He will attempt to cover 3,134km in 74 days.
He has completed 16,000km since 1983, and aims to cover 26,000km more by 2017.
